Surrey bus fleet to get jolt of electricity

​TransLink is expanding its battery-electric bus fleet by more than 100 buses thanks to funding approval by Metro Vancouver’s board – with some of those earmarked for Surrey streets.

The newly approved $479 million in funding will enable the replacement of aging diesel buses with new battery-electric models and support the infrastructure needed to store and charge the fleet.

“TransLink is grateful for this investment in our battery-electric bus fleet, which will allow us to improve service for our customers,” said Kevin Quinn, the CEO of TransLink, in a statement. “We are now set up to replace aging diesel buses with a diversified fleet that will serve our customers efficiently and sustainably.”

Here is a breakdown of the numbers:

• 102 new battery-electric buses to replace aging diesel buses
• 64 additional bus chargers and upgrades at the Port Coquitlam Transit Centre
• Testing a 60-foot electric trolley bus with in-motion charging capability

TransLink currently has 19 battery-electric buses with 57 more Nova LFSe+ battery-electric buses on the way, as well as 10 on-route overhead chargers. This expansion would support the growth of TransLink’s fleet from 19 battery-electric buses to 178 by 2030.

“TransLink continues to build new infrastructure to support future fleet electrification,” said a news release. “This includes building a new transit centre, upgrading an existing transit centre, and adding new on-route charging stations.

The investment is allocated by the Metro Vancouver Regional District through the federal government’s Canada Community Building Fund, which is administered by the Union of BC Municipalities. Since 2005, Metro Vancouver’s member jurisdictions have voluntarily pooled their federal funding from CCBF to support major regional transit investments like climate-resilient transportation.

• The 102 new battery-electric buses will reduce TransLink’s greenhouse gas emissions by 8,200 tonnes annually and more than 140,000 tonnes over their lifespan, said Metro Vancouver.
• On-route charging stations can top up buses in five minutes, enabling all day service.
• TransLink operates the second-largest fleet of fully electric trolleybuses in North America with 262 buses.
• The SkyTrain is also a fully electric transit service.